Below are this year's nominees for MABA's annual Beekeeper of the Year honor. All have worked hard this year on behalf of the club and in furtherance of beekeeping in metro Atlanta. Learn more about them below. This year's winner will be announced at MABA's annual honey show and potluck dinner on Sunday, Sept. 27 at Westside Provisions District.   SHELLI GODFREY Nomination #1 Shelli has excelled as an instructor for the Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association’s Certified Beekeeper and Journeyman programs. She thoughtfully prepares PowerPoint presentations for both certification levels and patiently supports beekeepers who arrive unprepared or struggle with…

At our October 12 meeting, MABA will welcome Randy McCaffrey (AKA: 628 Dirt Rooster). His topic will be: "Recognizable Patterns in Honey Bee Behavior." Randy  has 31 years as a contractor and structural claims specialist.  At the age of forty he developed a fascination with honey bees.  He discovered beekeeping after assisting his brother who is also a beekeeper, with the live removal (cut out) of a bee hive in an old furniture warehouse.  In 2010 armed with his knowledge of construction and his newfound fascination with bees he began removing and relocating feral bee colonies from commercial and residential…

Our annual MABA fall potluck picnic and honey show is THIS SUNDAY, September 27, 2026 at Westside Provisions District (1170 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30318 -- corner of Howell Mill Road and 14th Street).  It's time to GET THOSE HONEY SHOW ENTRIES READY!! Please RSVP here so we know you're coming.Our gathering will have everything we love about being together: ~ A honey show where you can win cash prizes and bragging rights! (Click here for the honey show rules.) Remember to READ THE RULES, READ THE RULE, READ THE RULES!~ If you and your bees produced honey this year, enter our…

At our Monday, August 10 meeting, our topic will be Medicinal Beekeeping: Wellness from the Hive.  Our speaker, Emily Mueller, will introduce us to the world of apitherapy and the wellness benefits of hive-based products. We'll examine the medicinal properties of honey, pollen, royal jelly, bee venom, and beeswax, along with their therapeutic uses, wellness applications, and basic preparation methods. She will also discuss current research and historical uses of bee products in natural wellness practices. Emily Mueller is a beekeeper, researcher, and integrative health sciences student with a deep passion for the connection between bee health, natural medicine, and education. Her…

We heard your concerns about the low lighting and questionable A/C. MABA's June meeting will be our first held at our NEW, new Westside Provisions District meeting space (1170 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30318; corner of Howell Mill Road and 14th Street). Park in the WSPD parking deck (validated parking), and follow the MABA signs. This newest meeting space is a former retail space (Unit P12B) located on the ground-floor level of the building three doors down from the Flower Child restaurant, and directly across the street from Shake Shack.

If you are a UGA Certified Beekeeper and enjoy public speaking about honey bees, consider joining MABA's Speakers Bureau. Each year, MABA receives dozens of requests for speaker-presenters to visit schools, garden clubs, festivals, etc. and present information about honey bees. For it bureau speakers, MABA can even provide a sample Powerpoint presentation if you need one, as well as a fun kit appropriate younger kids. Speaking engagements like these can earn you Public Service Credits towards Journeyman and Master certifications. Complete this form to sign up.

12B Our speaker will be beekeeper Nathalie B of Bee Mindful Honey Farms (Driftwood, Texas). With close to 400 colonies and 15 years expertise in Beekeeping Education and Professional Beekeeping Services, Nathalie B. is an internationally recognized speaker and advocate for Treatment-Free, sustainable beekeeping. She is best known for promoting Horizontal Top-Bar Hives as a simple, affordable, accessible, and easy-to-manage option for backyard beekeepers. She optimized and redesigned existing plans to create a global standard for Top-Bar Hive designs, allowing cross-country interchangeability of hives and comb for suppliers and customers. She invented the Flex Hive, an internationally acclaimed Langstroth-to-Top-Bar adapter,…

12BOur speaker will be beekeeper Sam Comfort of Anarchy Apiaries.Our meetings are held at our new Westside Provisions District meeting space (1170 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30318; corner of Howell Mill Road and 14th Street). Park in the WSPD parking deck (validated parking), and follow the MABA signs. The new meeting space is a former retail space (Unit P12B) located on the ground-floor level of the building three doors down from the Flower Child restaurant, and directly across the street from Shake Shack.  MABA meets on the 2nd Monday of each month, except September and December when we hold…

On Monday, May 11, our speaker will be Tucka Bee, a small scale commercial beekeeper,  queen breeder, and candle maker, and owner of Tucka Bee, LLC. Tucka manages about 300 colonies in south Florida. Our meetings are held at our new Westside Provisions District meeting space (1170 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30318; corner of Howell Mill Road and 14th Street). Park in the WSPD parking deck (validated parking), and follow the MABA signs. The new meeting space is a former restaurant space (Unit P10A) located on the ground-floor level of the building immediately next door to the Flower Child restaurant,…

On Saturday, May 2, MABA will offer UGA Certified Beekeeper testing. The Certified Beekeeper level is the first step of a four-step program in UGA’s Master Beekeeping program. MABA has been authorized by UGA to administer the exam here in Atlanta. To test at this level you must have at least one year's hands-on experience keeping honey bees. The official text for the program is the 2007 edition of First Lessons in Beekeeping, by Keith Delaplane, which is available for purchase from numerous online sources and at MABA meetings. The exam consists of a written and a practical portion, requiring approximately 2 hours to…